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Hastings Station

Hastings Station was opened on 13 February 1851, and is a major station with services extending to London via Tunbridge Wells, to London via Eastbourne and Haywards Heath, to Brighton, and via the Marshlink Line to Ashford International.

Hastings is the former terminus of the Marshlink Line, but services now venture further west. However the photographic tour does not....!

Hastings is a shadow of the former station, which had extensive goods facilities and a different arrangement of platforms. Much of the area occupied by the former station has been redeveloped.

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Hastings Station is a shadow of it's former self. This view looks east towards the western end of the station. The 1929 map shows that on the left, behind the trees, there was formerly an engine shed and turntable. On the right the former westbound section of Platform 1 no longer exists, but when first built tracks led through this gap into a vast area occupied by platforms and sidings. A new booking hall, bus facility and car park now occupy this site. The green glass of the booking hall can be seen on the right of the photo. 04.10.2005

Hastings Station looking west from the eastern end. The area of the engine shed is lost in the trees on the right behind the train in Platform 4. To the left of the picture the disused land was formerly occupied by a large number of sidings and a goods shed. 04.10.2005

Looking east from the bridge at the eastern end of Hastings Station. The main lines extend east towards Ore Station. On the right of the photo the truncated siding originally extended into a gas works with several sidings. On the left of the picture the site of former sidings at the station is obvious, and in the distance the very limited carriage sidings can be seen. The limited space for stock to be held at Hastings was the original justification for the facilities at Ore, but these have since closed. 04.10.2005

Hastings signal box, situated at the eastern end of the station on the northern side of the line. The box controls an odd mix of colour light and semaphore signals. 01.07.2005

Unit 377447 heads east from Hastings Station under the eastern road bridge, heading for Ore Station, where it will reverse in the headshunt at the end of the electrified line. 01.07.2005

Hastings Station looking west along the platforms. On the extreme left is a non-electrified siding. In 2005, when this picture was taken, Marshline services terminated in the bay platform at Hastings and did not venture further west. From the left are a terminating Turbostar Marshlink train waiting to return to Ashford; a westbound Southern coastal train; an eastbound Southern train en route for the end of the electrified line at Ore; and a terminating Charing Cross to Hastings train waiting to leave the station westbound. 01.07.2005

Moving down the platform, Turbostar 171725 waits to depart with an Ashford Marshlink train. Trains can only enter this bay from the east, so it is hard to see the benefit of the third rail provided. The only services that approach from the east are DMUs (excluding electric trains that have already reversed at Ore to travel through the station westbound). 01.07.2005

377107 waits to depart from Platform 2 with a Southern coastal service which has originated from Ore. 01.07.2005

Turning round and looking east, this is a general view of the eastern end of Hastings Station, complete with semaphore signals. Colour light signals are at the western end of the platform. The goods yard was behind the fence on the extreme right. The seagull just wanted to get into the picture.... 01.07.2005

Now at the western end of the station 375715 waits to depart westbound form Platform 4 with a Hastings to Charing Cross service. Terminating services usually use this platform. Behind the train the site of the old engine shed is lost in undergrowth. 01.07.2005

Looking east from the western end of Hastings Station. On the right, behind the barrier, is the former western end of Platform 1, which was truncated when a ground level path was built to the new ticket office on the right (behind the bush). A westbound coastal service waits at Platform 2, and on the left the driver walks up to the cab of a terminated train that will depart west from Platform 4 for London Charing Cross. 01.07.2005

Turning round and looking west from the western end of Hastings Station towards Hastings Tunnel, which is 788 yards in length. A signal box originally stood on the left, with sidings behind it leading through the disused arch on the left. The empty arch on the right originally led to a turntable and sidings. St Leonards Warrior Square Station is at the far end of the tunnel, and the shadow of a train can just be seen through the tunnel. 01.07.2005

A general view looking east towards Hastings Station, with the town rising on the ridge behind. The green glass building on the right is the new booking office, and a glass-sided connection leads from it to the platform. The installation of this facility blocked the western end of Platform 1, and converted it into a bay platform facing Ashford. The booking office area was formerly platforms and sidings. 04.10.2005

A westbound train bound for London Charing Cross heads into Hastings Tunnel. The trees on the right conceal an area formerly occupied by a turntable. 04.10.2005

A slightly wider shot of the eastern portal of Hastings Tunnel. The gray apparatus cases on the left of the picture mark the line of a siding which discharged trains westwards and joined the main line just beyond the existing cross-over. 04.10.2005